Swaging machine



L. ROBBINS 2,408,882

SWAGING MACHINE Filed Sept. 25, 1943 7 Sheets-Sheet l M am N V INVENTOR. v Z50 lPOBB/NS L. ROBBINS SWAGING MACHINE Dct. 8, 1946.

Filed Sept. 25, 1943 7 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. 50 F BE/Ms Arromzy L. ROBBINS swAsIN MACHINE '7 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed'sept. 25, 1943 a I I v 150 Haas/Ms ATTQHZYEY Get. 8, 1946.,

L. ROBBINS SWAGING MACHINE Filed Se t. 25. 1943 '7 Sheets-Sheet 4 ATTORNEY 3, 3946. L. ROBBINS 2,8582

SWAGING MACHINE A Filed Sept. 25, 1943 '7 Sheets-Sheet 5 "I mull nuusimun IN VEN TOR.

Afrafim II! T Lea/7238m- Oct. 8, 1946. L. ROBBINS SWAGING MACHINE Filed Sept. 25. 1943 7 Sheets-Sheet 7 Patented Oct. 8, 1946 SWAGING MACHINE Leo Robbins, New York, N. Y., assignor to Roberts Manufacturing 00., New York, N. Y.

Application September 2 18 Claims.

This invention relates to swaging machines wherein a member which encloses a second member is adapted to be fastened to the second member by the application of pressure. Thus, for example, the hub on the upper end of the cannula of a hypodermic needle is swaged thereon.

It is the principal object of this invention to provide a completely automatic machine which requires the services of an operator only to feed the parts to be fastened together. Thereafter the entire action consisting of the steps of moving the parts to swaging position, performing the swaging operation, releasing the parts from the die and finally withdrawing the swaged members and depositing them in a suitable receptacle, are all performed automatically in the stated sequence.

It is a further object to provide a rotatable table in which are positioned the parts to be swaged, said table being fed step-by-step to move the parts to the swaging position, and then applying the swaging pressure in such manner as not to strain the table. For this purpose, I provide means for applying the pressure not merely to one side of the table in the swaglng position, but to both sides thereon in such manner that the pressures equalize, and thus the swaging pressure is applied to the table without straining or twisting the table.

It is a further object of my invention to provide means for supporting the article to be swaged in the table in such manner that when the swaging pressure is applied at the top and bottom of the table, the article will be able to adjust its position for variations in position and variations in length of the article itself. For this purpose I provide means whereby the article is supported in the table in the swaging position solely by friction means, which can be overcome by swaging pressure.

Still another object of my invention is to provide means for applying the swaging pressure through a toggle mechanism which can employ a minimum length of toggle lever while at the time giving th maximum movement of the swaging means in a predetermined time interval. Thus, with a minimum length of toggle lever, I am enabled to withdraw the punch from the table in only a fraction of the cycle during which the table is stationary.

Still another object of my invention is to provide means for performing a plurality of steps in withdrawing and discharging swaged articles, said means including a tubular member for per- 5, 1943, Serial No. 503,790

forming one function, and a rod within the tubular member for performing another function, together with separate levers for operating the tube and the rod independently. It is an object of this invention to permit the rod to perform its function without tending to operate the tube to such degree as to call for strong restraining means on the tube. For this purpose I pivot the rod operating lever on the tube operating lever in such manner that upward movement of the rod results in a downward reaction on the tube operating lever, whereby the movement of the rod itself provides means for opposing the movement of the tube.

Still other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent in the following detailed description thereof:

In the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 is a plan view of one embodiment of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the Fig. 1 machine with parts broken away and parts sectioned.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the tube and rod element shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a section taken substantially on the line 44 of Fig. 2. i

Fig. 5 is a section taken substantially on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged section of a portion of the Fig. 5 device.

Fig. 7 is a section taken substantially on the line 'Il of Fig. 1.

Fig. 8 is a section taken substantially on the line 8-8 of Fig. '7.

Fig. 9 is a section taken substantially on the line 99 of Fig. 8.

Fig. 10 is a section taken substantially on the line ill-l0 of Fig. 7.

Fig. 11 is a section taken substantially on the line l|-H of Fi 5.

Fig. 12 is a section taken substantially on the line !2l2 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 13 is a section taken substantially on the line l3l3 of Fig. 12 but with the parts shown one-half cycle displaced from Fig. 12.

Fig. 14 is a section taken substantially on the line Iii-44 of Fig. 7.

Fig. 15 is a section taken substantially on the line l5-i5 of Fig. 14.

Fig. 16 is a section taken substantially on the line l6l6 of Fig. 14.

Fig. 17 is a section taken substantially on the line ll-I'I of Fig. 4.

The following description of the automatic swaging machine relates to the swaging of hubs on hypodermic needles, but it will be understood that this is for purposes of illustration only, and it will become quite apparent from the description that the invention is applicable generally to the swaging of any similar articles, and in fact, wherever one article encloses another and is to be fastened thereto solely by pressure.

The device comprises a table In having a plurality of supports I I mounted therein adjacent its outer circumference at uniformly spaced intervals, each of said supports II being adapted to hold the articles to be swaged, in this case, a hypodermic needle and a hub to be fastened to the upper end thereof. Such needle and hub are shown in several of the figures, as for instance, Figs. 6, 7, 8 and 9, all of which show a needle I2 and a hub I3. Each of said supports II has a tubular opening I5 extending verticall therethrough, slightly larger than the needle so that the needles can readily be inserted within the supports. The needles drop into the holes I5 until they rest upon a circular track I1 formed in the fixed support I8 in which the table is supported for rotation. An operator, sitting at the upper left in Fig. 1 inserts the needles and then places a hub I3 on each needle, each hub having a shoulder (see Fig. 6) adapted to rest on the upper end of the needle. The hub has a circular converging portion ZI which surrounds the upper end of the needle, and it is this portion which is to be swaged to the upper end of the needle, that is, fixed thereto, solely by pressure. The hub has a central opening 22 in alignment with the opening in needle I2, and also has an upper portion 23 provided with a hollow, slightly downwardly tapering interior 24.

Referring to Fig. 6, it will be seen that the upper end of each support II is provided with a die 25 having a downwardly tapering portion 26 adaptedto receive the downwardly tapering portion H of the hub I3. It will be seen that if the needle is held stationar within the support II, and sufiicient pressure is applied to drive the hub I3 into the die 25, the portion ZI of the hub will be pressed firmly around the outer surface of the upper end of the needle I2 so as to be permanently fixed thereto.

The operator having inserted the needle and hub in each support I I after the table has passed the station marked S in a clockwise direction, it is then the function of the machine to feed each support successively to the swaging position indicated at C, thence to position D where the hub is released from the tight pressure in the die 25, and then to position E where the swaged articles are lifted out of the support and deposited in a suitable receptacle.

For carrying out the above automatic steps, it is first necessary to drive the table in a step-bystep circular motion so that each support II will first pass in front of the operator who supplies the articles to be swaged, and will then be carried successively to swaging position C, releasing position D, and lifting and discharging position E. For driving the table in the step-by-step circular motion, the table may be mounted on a shaft 30 journaled in the fixed support I8 and adapted to be driven from any suitable source of power, such as the belt and pulley 3|, 32. Pulley 32 operates the main drive shaft 33 provided with a worm 34 at its inner end, said worm meshing with a worm wheel- 35 having a member 36' concentric therewith, said member carrying aplanetary pin 31 designed to engage, once during each revolution of gear 35, the star wheel 39 fixed concentrically to the shaft 33 on which the table II) is mounted. Thus, once for each revolution of worm wheel 35, the table ID will be moved one step corresponding to the angular distance between the supports, said distance being that between stations C and D, and between stations D and E.

In order to define the steps so that the table will be positioned exactly in operating position at each step, there is provided a defining pin 40 (see Figs. 2 and 5), which is normally springpressed upwardly by means of a spring 4| in the fixed support so as to tend to move the upper tip 42 of the pin into a corresponding detent 43 in the table. When pin 40 enters detent 43 the table is in the proper operating position. When the table is to be moved to a new position, the pin 4-3 is withdrawn by means of a lever 45 pivoted at on the fixed frame, and having a roller 41 at one end adapted to be engaged by the cam portion- 48 of a cam fixed upon the shaft 38 which carries the worm 34. The cam 48 is so positioned that when the operations at C, D and E are completed, and the table is to be moved to the next step, said cam will engage roller 41 to lift that end of the lever and depress the other end of the lever which is in the form of a fork 49 engaging lateral arms 50 on the pin 40 to depress the pin against the action of spring 4| and withdraw the tip 42 from the detent 43. As soon as the star wheel has moved the table to the next step, the cam 48 ends, allowing lever arm 45 to drop and fork 49 to rise, thus permitting the tip 42 to enter the next detent 43. The table is thus moved stepby-step through the proper angular distance, and each step is defined by the defining mechanism just described to bring the supports I I into the proper working position.

Let us take for example, the support II which is in position A, and follow through the operae tions on this particular needle and hub. In position A the needle still rides upon the supporting track I I in the fixed support. However, when the needle is moved into swaging position, the track cannot be used because during the swaging operation the hub is moved downwardly. The needle must also be able to move downwardly, otherwise it would bend. Therefore, the fixed support at the lower end of the needle provided by track II is replaced by a frictional means permitting movement of the needle in its support. For this purpose, the table II carries pins 52, one for each support. Each pin 52 (see Fig. 6) extends through the support but is normally held out of engagement with the needle b reason of the fact that the pin is connected to a spring member 53 fixed to the periphery of the table at 54 and havin a roller 55 at its outer end. As the table carries each needle into position A, we see that it is but two steps away from the swaging position, and therefore, as the table moves from position A to position B, which is the last position having the support II, the rollers 55 pass under a cam member 56 which presses the springs against the periphery of the table II) and forces the pins 52 into engagement with the needle I2 within the support I I in position B. As the table moves the needle from position B to position C, it will be seen that since the track I 1 ends before position C, the needle is held in the support solely by the frictional engagement of pin 52 with the needle I2. The cam 56 extends far enough so that the pins 52 remain in engagement with the needle until after the needle has left position C, that is, until after it has been swaged, in which case it is firmly held by reason of the fact that the hub l3 has been pressed tightly into engagement with the upper end of the needle. Thereafter, it is no longer necessary to maintain the pins 52 in frictional engagement with the needle, 5 and springs 53 are allowed to extend themselves to their natural position to withdraw the pins 52.

The needle I2 held frictionally by pin 52 in the support II after leaving position B, and loosely supporting its hub I3, is now moved into the swaging position C. In this position the table I8 is cut away so that pressure may be applied to the upper and lower ends II and I I" of the support II. The support II extends below the bottom of table It), and the hub I3 extends above the top of table II] so that pressure may be applied at both ends without engaging the table. For applying the swaging pressure there may be provided two plungers, an upper plunger 60 and a lower plunger GI. The upper plunger 60 may be provided with a punch 62 adapted to enter the hollow interior 24 of the hub I3. The punch 62 also tapers downwardly so as to enter within the downwardly tapering interior 24 of the hub. It will be seen that if pressure is applied simul- 5 taneously by both plungers 69 and GI at opposite ends, the lower portion 2| of hub l3 will be driven further and further into the decreasing cavity 26 in the die until portion 2| is pressed into firm engagement with the needle I2.

The means for applying pressure to the plungers 69 and ti is such that the pressures on these plungers are equal, and therefore the pressures on opposite sides of the table I0 are equal, and thus, the table is not subjected to any twisting stresses and strains which would be highly injurious in this type of machine. Such equal pressures are obtained by means of two levers 63 and B4 pivoted on the fixed support at 95 and 66 respectively, said levers having their inner ends 61 and 68 in engagement with the plungers 6|] and BI respectively. It will now be seen that if pressure is applied between the outer ends of the levers, said pressure will be equally distributed between the two levers, that is to say, the arrangement of two freely pivoted levers constitutes a self-equalizing arrangement.

For applying pressure to the outer ends of levers 63 and 64, there may be provided a toggle consisting of two links I9 and ll, the link It comprising several parts to be described hereinafter, and pivoted to lever 63 at I2, while the link II is pivoted to the lever 64 at I3. The links are pivotally connected at 14. They are shown in alignment, that is, in their pressure applying position, but the toggle may be broken by pulling pivot I4 toward the right in Fig. 5. The means for applying pressure to the pivot I4 to straighten and break the toggle may take the form of a link I5 pivoted to the pivot 14, and having at its upper end a plate I9 to which is fixed a plate H (see Figs. 12 and 13). For operating the link 15 to the right to break the toggle, there is provided a mutilated eccentric I9 on driving shaft 80, said eccentric operating within a slot or cavity 8|. As 65 the shaft 89 rotates, the eccentric I9 will press against a projection 83 fixed to the outer end of plate 11 within the cavity 8|, and thus force the plate 11, and hence link I5, to the right. This will break the toggle because pivot '74 will be pulled toward the right, It is desirable that the link H be as short as possible, for thereby there is obtained the maximum angular displacement of said link for a given linear movement of the pivot I4 toward the right. Therefore it is desirable that the movement of pivot 14 to the right be held to the minimum necessary to accomplish breaking of the toggle and to yield sufiicient movement of end 61 to permit spring 86 to lift the plunger 69 and the punch 62 to the necessary height to clear the hub in the neXt succeeding support II. In order to keep the link II as short as possible, the eccentric I9 is provided with a mutilated or cut off portion 90 so that when point 9| at the beginning of said mutilated portion reaches the projection 83, no further outward movement of plate 11 will take place. If the eccentric were not so mutilated, there would be continued movement of plate I'I until point 92 reached the projection 83, and this would give a much larger throw of the eccentric, and would necessitate a longer link II, and hence, enlargement of all of the parts to yield the same movement of end 61 of lever 63 in the given time interval.

The eccentric I9 thus moves the plate 11 and link 15 to the right only the distance necessary to cause the desired degree of movement of the toggle to cause plunger 60 to clear the oncomin hub. This is due to the mutilated portion 90, but by reason of this mutilated portion, it would be difficult or almost impossible to rely upon this same eccentric I9 to force the plate TI and link 75 toward the left. Therefore, I provide upon the same eccentric I9, two outer plates 93 and 94 which are not connected to the plate 16 of link I5, but which may abut against it. The portions 95 cf eccentric I9 on which are positioned these 7 plates 93 and 94 are completely circular, and therefore, will withdraw the plates 93 and 94 toward the right a further distance than plate 11 is withdrawn toward the right (see Fig. 12'). However, while the projection 83 of plate I! is riding in the out 01f or mutilated portion of eccentric I9, the eccentric portions 95 are starting to move the plates 93 and 94 toward the left, and these plates 93 and 94 will come into abutting engagement with the plate It just at the time that the end 91 of the mutilated portion reaches the projection 83. Thereafter continued rotation of the eccentric portions 95 will move plates 93 and 94 toward the left to accomplish the straightening of the toggle and the application of the pressure to the levers 63 and 64, and hence, to the plungers 60 and BI.

The shaft 89 (see Figs. 2 and l) may be driven from the driving source 3|. 32 by any suitabledriving connections such as the worm 98 and the worm wheel 99, the latter being fixed to the shaft 80.

It will be understood that slight variations may occur in the distance between the plungers 60 and GI due to the slight variations in the length of the needle and hub, and if the pivots 12 and I3 on levers 53 and 64 were always moved apart the same distance when the toggle was straightened, and the plungers 69 and BI always moved together the same distance, there would result unequal pressures, and in some cases, might even result in destruction of the swaged articles due to excessive pressure. Therefore I provide means in the link 19 for a certain amount of lost motion when a predetermined pressure between the plungers 69 and 6| has been exceeded. For this purpose the link 59 is formed in two parts, the lower part having a rod I99 slidable in a sleeve IE; I, the part I99 having a lower shoulder I92, and the part I9! having a screw-threaded nut I I33. A heavy spring I95 is positioned between the nut I03 and the shoulder I02 to keep the parts normally spread apart with a predetermined tension; It is only when this tension is exceeded by pressure generated between plungers 60 and 6| that any movement will take place between the rod and the sleeve, the rod moving inwardly within the sleeve. The rod. may carry at its upper end a stop I06 slidable within a bore I01 in the sleeve IOI to limit the-effective length of the link 60-. The tension of spring I may be regulated by screwing the nut I 03 up or down on sleeve IOI by means of the screw thread arrangement IIII.

Since the levers 63' and 64 and the pressure applying mechanism in the form of the toggle constitute a floating assembly to the extent that it is movable around pivots 65 and 66, I may provide a spring pressed plunger III within a fixed cylinder H2 with a spring I I3 to press it upwardly into engagement with the outer end of lever 64. This serves not only to support the floating linkage, but also to release the plunger 6 I when the toggle is broken.

The hub having been swaged on to the upper end of the needle in position C, and the plunger elements 65 and GI having been withdrawn from engagement with the hub and the lower end' of the support II, the said support carrying the swaged needle and hub is ready to be moved to position D. During its movement to this position it is the function of the apparatus to release the hub I3 from its tight engagement within the die 25 into which it has been pressed by the plunger 60 and the punch 62. For this purpose I cause the movement of the table itself to effect such' release of the hub and its needle from the die. Therefore I provide upon the fixed support, in the line of movement of the hub I3, a pair of spaced, similar inclines I20 formed in a bracket I2I supported on aframe I22 fixed to the fixed frame I8. These inclines (see Fig. are so positioned that the aperture I23 between them is in the line of movement of the portion of the hub 2| just above the die 25. This portion of the hub therefore enters the aperture I23 and rides up the incline as the table rotates, thus forcing the hub out of the die until the hub rides on the upper surface I25 of the inclines (see Figs. 8 and 9).

The swaged hub having now been released from its jammed position in the die, it is ready to be discharged from the support II in the table, and deposited in a suitable receptacle. This is accomplished when the respective support has moved to position E. In this position it is necessary for gripping fingers to engage the hub, lift the hub and needle out of the support II, and deposit itin the receptacle. Since the gripping fingers must ordinarily be out of the way when the hub moves into position E, it will be understood that the following operations must be accomplished: The normally open gripping fingers I30 are in the dotted line position shown in Fig. l, and must first be swung into the full line position, lowered, caused to grip the hub, raised, swung again to the dotted line position and opened to release the needle and hub. All of these movements are accomplished in the interval between steps of the table. In order to ac complish all of the above movements, I provide a pair of gripping fingers I30 (see Fig. 14), said fingers forming the outer ends of a pair of levers I'3I pivoted at I32 and having their outer ends normally operated by means of a toggle comprising a pair of links I33 pivoted to levers I3I at I 34, and said links I33 being pivotally connected at their other end at I35 to an operating link I36 which, when drawn to the right, will open the toggle, and hence open the fingers I 30 against the action of springs I31. For maintaining the fingers I 30 normally open, the link I36 is normally drawn to the right by means of a bell crank I40 pivoted at I4I within a housing I42, said bell crank being connected to link I36 at I43, and having its other end normally operated in a counter-clockwise direction by means of a rod I50 normally pressed upwardly (by means to be described hereinafter) to swing the bell crank in a counter-clockwise direction. This maintains the fingers I30 normally open. The said fingers are also maintained normally raised above the table I0 by a distance in excess of the length of the hub and needle, and for this purpose the housing I42 is fixed to a sleeve I52 within which the rod I50 operates, and the sleeve I52 is also maintained upwardly against the action of a spring I53 by means to be described hereinafter. The means for maintaining the rod and sleeve normally in elevated position, in which position the fingers I 30 are open, is shown in Fig. 2, and comprises a set of cams I55 and I56 mounted upon the shaft 83 and engaging One end of a pair of levers I51 and I53. Lever I51 is pivoted on the fixed frame at I59 while lever I58 is pivoted on lever I51 at I60. The inner end I 6| of lever I58 engages the rod I50 while the inner end I62 of lever I51 may take the form of a fork engaging pins I63 on the sleeve I52. It will be apparent by reason of the pivoting of lever I58 on lever I51 at I 60 that when lever I51 moves around its pivot I 59, the lever I 58 will be carried up and down together with lever I51, and therefore, the rod I50 will move up or down simultaneously with sleeve I52. However, the lever I68 can pivot around its pivot I60 independently of any movement of lever I51 in order to operate the rod I50. Therefore, it is possible to design the cams I55 and I56 to give the following sequence. The end I 62 of lever I 51 is normally held raised, which also raises rod I50 and keeps jaws I30 open. When the housing I42 is swung from the dotted line position to the full line position shown in Fig. l (by means to be described hereinafter), the housing I42 is lowered by moving end- I62 downwardly. This moves rod I50 downwardly also, but since there is no relative movement between rod I50 and sleeve I52, the jaws I30 remain open. When housing I 42 has reached its lowermost position wherein the jaws I30 straddle the hub in position E, the rod I50 is given an independent movement downwardly relative to the sleeve I 52, and this permits springs I36 to close the toggle and cause the members I30 to grip the hub. The cam I55 then operates on lever I51 to raise sleeve I52, rod I 50 and housing I42 until the hub and needle clear the table, but since there is no relative movement between rod I 50 and sleeve I52, the laws I 3t remain closed on the hub. Then the housing I42 is swung to the dotted line position shown in Fig. l, and after this position is reached, rod I50 is moved upwardly relative to sleeve I52 to operate the bell crank I40 to the dotted line position in Fig. 7, thus opening the toggle and releasing the jaws I30. The swaged. hub and needle then drop into a suitable receptacle positioned outside the path of movement of the table From the above description it will be seen that by pivoting lever I58 on lever I51, relative movement between the rod I50 and the sleeve I52 is accomplished without the necessity of providing strong restraining means, that is, a strong restraining spring on sleeve I52. Such a strong retaining spring would necessitate heavier operating mechanism for operating lever I'I. By pivoting lever I58 on lever I51 it will be seen that any upward movement of the rod results in a downward reaction on the sleeve so that the very movement of the rod itself provides a restraining force which prevents the sleeve from following along with the rod, and thus, obviates the necessity of strong restraining means on the sleeve. Only a light retaining spring I53 is therefore employed.

For accomplishing the rotation of the housing I42 from the dotted line position to the full line position in the above sequence, there may be mounted on the shaft 80 an eccentric I'll! (see Fig. 17), which has connected thereto a connecting rod III (see Fig. 4), which is pivotally connected at I12 to a bell crank I13 fixed to the sleeve I52. .The eccentric I is so positioned as to accomplish the rotation of the sleeve I52 between the dotted line and full line positions shown in Fig. 1 in the sequence described above, which may be summarized as follows: The housing I42 is in raised position with the jaws I30 open as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. The housing is first swung from dotted line position to full line position in raised position with the jaws I30 open; the housing I42 is lowered with the jaws open until the jaws straddle the hub in the support II; the jaws I30 are closed on the hub; the housing I42 is raised with the jaws grasping the hub and lifting the hub and needle out of the support to the position shown in Fig. '7; the housing is swung to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 1 with the jaws closed; finally the jaws I30 are opened to release the hub and needle.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, I have herein described the principle and operation of my invention, together with the apparatus which I now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof, but I desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is only illustrative and that the invention can be carried out by other equivalent means. Also, while it is designed to use the various features and elements in the combination and relations described, some of these may be altered and others omitted without interfering with the more general results outlined, and the invention extends to such use.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a swaging machine having a movable table and a support mounted in said table, said support being adapted to carry the articles to be swaged, characterized by means for swaging articles by the application of pressure without introducing stresses and strains in the table due to twisting moment, said last named means including movable members, one member engaging each end of the support, and means for applying equal pressure to said movable members.

2. In a swaging machine having a movable table and a support mounted in said table, said support being adapted to carry the articles to be swaged, characterized by means for swaging articles by the application of pressure without introducing stresses and strains in the table due to twisting moment, said last named means including movable members, one member engaging each end of the support, and self-equalizing means for applying equal pressures to said movable members.

3. In a swaging machine having amovable table and a support mounted in said table, said support being adapted to carry the articles to be swaged, characterized by means for swaging articles by the application of pressure Without introducing stresses and strains in the table due to twisting moment, said last named means including a pair of pivoted levers, one arm of one lever being operatively connected to one end of said support, the corresponding arm of the other lever being operatively connected to the other end of said support, and means for applying pressure between the other arms of said levers, whereby equal pressures will be applied to opposite ends of said support.

4. In a swaging machine having a movable table and a support mounted in said table, said support being adapted to carry the articles to be swaged, characterized by means for swaging articles by the application of pressure without introducing stresses and strains in the table due to twisting moment, said last named means including a pair of pivoted levers, one arm of one lever being operatively connected to one end of said support, the corresponding arm of the other lever being operatively connected to the other end of said support, and toggle means connected between the other arms of said levers for applying pressure therebetween, whereby equal pressures will be applied to opposite ends of said support.

5. In a swaging machine having a movable table and a support mounted in said table, said support being adapted to carry the articles to be swaged, characterized by means for swaging articles by the application of pressure without introducing stresses and strains in the table due to twisting moment, said last named means including a pair of pivoted levers, one arm of one lever being operatively connected to one end of said support, the corresponding arm of the other lever being operatively connected to the other end of said support, and toggle means connected between the other arms of said levers for applying pressure therebetween, "whereby equal pressures will be applied to opposite ends of said support, said toggle means including lost motion means for taking up pressures between said lever arms in excess of a predetermined pressure.

6. In a swaging machine having a movable table and a support mounted in said table, said support being adapted to carry the articles to be swaged, characterized by means for swaging articles by the application of pressure without introducing stresses and strains in the table due to twisting moment, said last named means including a pair of pivoted levers, one arm of one lever being operatively connected to one end of said support, the corresponding arm of the other lever being operatively connected to the other end of said support, and toggle means connected between the other arms of said levers for applying pressure therebetween, whereby equal pressures will be applied to opposite ends of said support, said toggle means including resilient lost motion means for taking up pressures between said lever arms in excess of a predetermined pressure.

'7. In a swaging machine having a movable table and a support mounted in said table, said support being adapted to carry the articles to be swaged, characterized by means for swaging articles by the application of pressure without introducing stresses and strains in the table due to twisting moment, said last named means including a pair of pivoted levers, one arm of one lever being operatively connected to one end of said support, the corresponding arm of the other lever being operatively connected to the other end of said support, and toggle means connected between the other arms of said levers for applying pressure therebetween, whereby equal pressures will be applied to opposite ends of said support, said toggle means including lost motion means for taking up pressures between said lever arms in excess of a predetermined pressure, and means whereby the degree of said predetermined pressure may be varied.

8. In a swaging machine having a movable table and a support mounted in said table, said support being adapted to carry the articles to be swaged, characterized by means for swaging articles by the application of pressure without introducing stresses and strains in the table due to twisting moment, said last named means including a pair of pivoted levers, one arm of one lever being operatively connected to one end of said support, the corresponding arm of the other lever 3 being operatively connected to the other end of said support, and toggle means connected between the other arms of said levers for applying-pressure therebetween, whereby equal pressures will be applied to opposite ends of said support, said toggle means including a pair of toggle links, one of said links having lost motion means for takin up pressures between said lever arms in excessof a predetermined pressure, said lost-motion means comprising two relatively movable parts, resilient means interposed between said parts, and means for varying the resistance ofiered by said resilient means whereby the degree of said predetermined pressuremay .be varied.

9. In a swaging machine having a movable l table and a support mounted in said table, said support bein adapted to carry the article to be swaged, characterized by means for swaging articles by the application of pressure without introducing stresses and strains in the table due to twisting moment, said last named means including a pair of pivoted levers, one arm of one lever being operatively connected to one end of said support, the corresponding arm of the other lever being operatively connected to the other end of said support, and toggle means connected between the other arms of said levers for applying pressure therebetween, whereby equal pressures will .be applied to opposite ends of said support, said toggle means including a pair of toggle links, an operatin link connected to said pair of links, one of said pair of links being relatively short to give maximum angular movement for a given linear movement of the operating link, and actuating meansfor said operating link including an eccentric and means whereby said eccentric is elfective for only an operation of the total throw thereof to permit the use of said relatively short link.

10. In a swaging machine having a movable table anda support mounted in said table, said support being adapted to carry the articles tobe swaged, characterized by means for swaging articles by th application of pressure without introducing stresses and strains in the table due to twisting moment, said last named means including a pair of pivoted levers, one arm of one lever being operatively connected to one end of said support, the corresponding arm of the other lever being operatively connected to the other end of said support, and toggle means connected between the other arms of said levers forapplying pressure therebetween, whereby equal pressures will be applied to opposite ends of said support, said toggle means includinga pair of toggle links, an operating link connected to said pair of links, one ofsaid pair of links beingrela tively short to give maximum angular movement for a given linear movement .of the operating link, and actuatin means for said operating link including an eccentric and means whereby said eccentric is effective for only an operation of the total throw thereof in the direction for rendering the toggle ineffective to permit the use of said relatively short'link.

11. 'In a swaging machine having a movable table and a support mounted in said table, said support being adapted to carry the articles to be swaged, characterized by means for swaging articles by the application of pressure without introducing stresses and strains in the table due to twisting moment, said last named means including a pair of pivoted levers, one arm of one lever being operatively connected to one .end of said support, the corresponding arm of the other lever being operatively connected to the other end of said support, and toggle means connected between the other arms of said leversfor applying pressure therebetween, whereby equal pressures will be applied to opposite ends of said support, said toggle means including a pair of toggle links, an operating link connected to said pair of links, one of said pair of link being relatively short to give maximum angular movement for a given linear movement of.the operating link, and actuating-means for said operating link including an eccentric and a projection connected to said operating link and adapted to engage said eccentric, said eccentric having a cutout portion whereby the eccentric engages said projection for only a portion of the total throw thereof in the direction for rendering the toggle inelfective to permit the use of said relatively short link,

12. In a swaging machine having a movable table anda support mounted in said table, said support being adapted t carryth articles to be swaged, characterized by'means for swaging articles by the application of pressure without introducing stresses and strains in the table due to twisting moment, said last named means including a pair of pivoted levers, one arm of one lever being operatively connected to one end of said support, the corresponding arm of the other lever being operatively connected to the other end of said support, and toggle means connected between th other arms of said levers for applying pressure therebetween, whereby equal pressures will be applied to opposite ends of said support, said toggle means including a pair of toggle links, an operating link connected to said pair of links, one of saidpair oflinks'beingrelatively short to give maximum angularmovement for a given linear movement of the operating link, and actuatin means for said operating link including an accentricga projection connected to said operating link and adapted to engag said eccentric, said eccentric having a cutout portion whereby the eccentric engages said projection for only a portion of the total throw thereof in the direction for rendering the toggle ineffective to permit the use of said relatively short link, additional eccentric means normally inefiectivewhile the toggle is rendered ineffective, but adapted to become eifective to render said toggle effective after the limit of movement of said operating link in an ineffective direction has been-reached.

13. A swaging machine havinga table, means for moving said table, a support mounted in said table, said support being adapted to 'ioarry the articles to be swaged, said support-having a die in which the articles are adapted to be pressed and means for pressing said articles in said die, characterized by means whereby the movement of the table frees said articles from tight frictional engagement with said die, said last named means comprising a relatively fixed cam, one of said articles being provided with a projection in the path of said cam as said table is moved.

14. A swaging machine having a table, means for moving said table, a support mounted in said table, said support being adapted to carry the articles to be swaged, said support having a die in which the articles are adapted to be pressed, and means for pressing said articles in said die, characterized by means whereby the movement of the table frees said articles from tight frictional engagement with said die, said last named means comprising relatively fixed, spaced cams, said articles being so positioned as to enter the space between the cams during the movement of said table, one of said articles being provided with a projection adapted to engage both of said cams as said articles enter said space.

15. A swaging machine having a fixed frame and a table movably supported in said frame, a plurality of supports carried by said table, said supports being adapted to carry the articles to be swaged, each support having a bore extending substantially vertically therethrough, said bore being of such dimension as to permit one of said articles to fall freely therethrough, characterized by a track on said frame adapted to support the article on its lower end, said track terminating in advance of the swaging position to permit the swaging operation to be performed, and means adapted to be rendered effective before said track terminates for holding said article in the respective support.

16. A swaging machine having a fixed frame and a table movably supported in said frame, a plurality of supports carried by said table, said supports being adapted to carry the articles to be swaged, each support having a bore extending substantially vertically therethrough, said bore being of such dimension as to permit one of said articles to fall freely therethrough, characterized by a track on said frame adapted to support the article at its lower end, said track terminating in advance of the swaging position to permit the swaging operation to be performed, and means adapted to be rendered effective before said track terminates for frictionally holding said article in the respective support.

17. A swaging machine having a fixed frame and a table unovably supported in said frame, a plurality of supports carried by said table, said supports being adapted to carry the articles to be swaged, each support having a bore extending substantially vertically therethrough, said bore being of such dimension as to permit one of said articles to fall freely therethrough, characterized by a track on said frame adapted to support the article at its lower end, said track terminating in advance of the swaging position to permit the swaging operation to be performed, and means adapted to be rendered effective before said track terminates for frictionally holding said article in the respective support, said last named means comprising a pin for each support, the support having a lateral opening in which said pin operates, said opening extending from the outside of the support into the bore, means for normally maintaining said pin out of engagement with the article in said bore, and means adapted to become efiective before said track terminates for moving said pin into engagement with the article in said bore.

18. A swaging machine having a fixed frame and a table movably supported in said frame, a plurality of supports carried by said table, said supports being adapted to carry the articles to be swaged, each support having a bore extending substantially vertically therethrough, said bore being of such dimension as to permit one of said articles to fall freely therethrough, characterized by a track on said frame adapted to support the article at its lower end, said track terminating in advance of the swaging position to permit the swaging operation to be performed, and means adapted to be rendered effective flcefore said track terminates for frictionally holding said article in the respective support, said last named means comprising a pin for each support, the support having a lateral opening in which said pin operates, said opening extending from the outside of the support into the bore, spring means for normally maintaining said pin out of engagement with the article in said bore, and a cam adapted to become effective before said track terminates for engaging said pin and moving it into engagement with the article in said bore.

LEO ROBBINS. 

